Approved Premises

What are Approved Premises?

Approved Premises, formally known as Probation Hostels, are residential establishments which have been approved by the Home Office to house offenders. There are 2 Approved Premises located in the South area of the Trust which take a range of offenders and are located in the north and south of Middlesbrough.

What is the Function and Purpose?

1. To provide an enhanced level of residential supervision with the aim of protecting the public by reducing the likelihood of offending
2. Approved Premises are an integral part of the Criminal Justice System and are required to have an admissions policy within their area and to notify the courts accordingly. 

Who are they for?

• Those on bail awaiting sentence
• Those serving their sentence in the community
• Post custody licences
• Where the likelihood of re-offending means no other form of accommodation in the community would be suitable. 

Exceptional Cases

Offenders may be offered temporary residence where:

• There is personal vulnerability and
• Risk of re-offending is substantially increased due to homelessness and/or there is a risk of custodial remand
• Risk of harm means there is no alternative appropriate accommodation

Qualifying Age

Males aged 18 years or more

Approved Premises Core Regime

Residents are allocated a key-worker when they arrive who will formulate the action plan for the resident. Where the offender is subject to statutory supervision by Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust the key-worker and Offender Manager will work closely together to ensure compliance, rehabilitation and the management of risk. They meet regularly with residents to review progress and set appropriate objectives and will refer to specialist agencies when relevant.

As part of the Core Regime residents are expected to participate in daily resident meetings and interventions such as tenancy awareness, independent living and accredited training for numeracy and literacy.

• Staff also support residents to:
• Claim the correct benefits
• Secure suitable move-on accommodation
• Refer to specialist outside agencies
• Ensure residents are registered with a General Practitioner and have access to health provision
• Tackle drug or alcohol misuse
• Improve their chances of gaining employment

All residents of the Approved Premises must agree to abide by the financial and disciplinary rules. Failure to do so can result in the withdrawal of their bed.